Orphaned Computers & Game Systems

(Archive)
Vol. I, Issue 3    December 1994



Editor's Thoughts

by Adam Trionfo

Welcome to the third issue of OC&GS. You will notice a few changes, hopefully for the better. I have decided that although the cover art is great, I can use the cover for other matters, such as an editorial. So here goes.

This issue is two months late. Of course, I have reasons, but I'm not going to bother with them. Starting with this issue, this newsletter is at a "nearly bi-monthly" status.

For those of you who are not aware, the Arcadian is a newsletter for the Bally Astrocade that was in circulation from about 1978 to 1984. It contained reviews, BASIC programs to type in, and great articles. Many readers have asked where they might get copies, after reading my article in Issue 2 about the Astrocade. So I thought I would try to seek permission to reprint some of the articles. I received a letter from Robert Fabris, the editor of the Arcadian. He said that I may reprint articles that appeared in the newsletter, as long as I follow his instructions: I must get permission for each article that I plan to use, plus a few other details.

I think this is great news! Although I have no articles in this issue, I hope to have one for Issue 4. If anyone is interested in a particular kind of article, let me know as soon as possible.

I have found many copies of a magazine from the late seventies and early eighties called Interface Age. I want to see if I can get permission to reprint articles from that. Chances are, though, that I will only be able to use them as references.

By the way, in order to make this newsletter more readable, I have purchased a Deskjet 540 for my Amiga. Although I still must cut and paste the newsletter together in order to get any type of graphic, I hope it makes for a more pleasant read. If anyone has any additional suggestions, let me know.

I am wondering if I should include reviews for the TurboGrafx 16. It is the most advanced game system I own. This underrated machine doesn't get much coverage anywhere, so I wouldn't mind fixing that. (If anyone can point me in the direction of a newsletter dedicated to TurboGrafx systems, let me know. This would include the Turbo Express and Turbo Duo, too.)

I have had many requests from people to cover the Vectrex. Unfortunately, I do not own one of these systems. If anyone would like to write an article, let me know.

The systems I own, and thus can write about, are: the Atari VCS, 5200, 7800, 800 and XL\XE; the Bally Astrocade; the ColecoVision; the NES; the Sega Master System; the Odyssey 1 and 2; the Commodore 64, Plus-4 and VIC-20; the TurboGrafx 16 and Turbo Duo (and very soon, a Turbo Express!); the TI 99/4A; and probably a few I'm forgetting. If you would like to me cover any of these more heavily, let me know.

I was in Radio Shack about a week ago, ordering three 7800 games. The clerk asked, "You still play that!?" I explained that I still play many of the older systems. Of course, he hits a sore spot: "Do you have a Vectrex?" I replied, "No, but if you're selling, then I'm buying!" To which he said, "No, I don't have one, but my friend does. That thing is better then Nintendo!". Gee, thanks...

This newsletter is not dedicated to games only, as I hope the title indicates. I try to cover as many systems as I can. I have people call me locally who are looking for support for computer systems they cannot find anything for. I help these people as best as I can. Most people just are not aware of the potential of these classic computers! I'll do my best to surface as much information about them as I can in future issues.

I recently purchased six months of Internet access. I haven't really tried it yet. (Okay, I admit: I tried it once, and boy, did I get lost!) I am not really aware of too much that I can do on it, but I hope to find out. I really like what Tim Duarte does in the 2600 Connection. He reprints letters and addresses that many people will find helpful. I hope to do the same type of thing.

Many people talk about the price guide. I understand why it exists; there is a need for it. However, I think that there must be a way around giving actual prices. Why not give a rarity chart or something, and let people set prices among themselves? People who collect anything at all make lists. Eventually, the list comes together with other lists, and has nearly every item available. Before too long, someone decides that what they consider a fair price for an item is probably what most people would consider fair. So what happens to the list? It becomes a price guide, for better or worse.

It is for this reason that elsewhere in this issue, I have included a list of the games I am selling or trading. I am selling each cartridge for three dollars, plus postage. I know some are much easier to come by than others, but I think all the prices are fair. Of course, just because I think it is fair, that doesn't mean that it is. I am more than willing to work out reasonable deals.

Until next time, onward through the fog!